Versailles from the Sky

For the first time ever, Thomas Garnier – official photographer of the Palace of Versailles – reveals a secret the chateau has harboured for centuries: its extraordinary beauty when seen from the air. Versailles seen from the sky is dreamlike. This remarkable vista was first experienced on 19 September 1783 by the passengers on board the world’s first hot-air balloon flight: a sheep, a duck and a chicken. These animals rose up into the sky in front of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, making Versailles a pioneering location in the conquest of the air. Now, in the 21st century, the advent of drone cameras makes it possible to soar into the air and capture an infinity of new perspectives. Everything is more beautiful when seen from above, and this is particularly true of Versailles. The view from the sky reveals the geometry of the different spaces and the genius of their creators, while also offering a panoramic view of the Estate in all its immensity. The classical gardens lend themselves so well to aerial views: the Grand Perspective, the fountains, the intricate parterres, many of which were plotted out on architectural plans. The wooded groves seem to take on new forms: the Dome, Colonnade and Obelisk Groves resemble watch faces on which the channels that feed the fountains mark out the time; the Chestnut Grove shrouded in snow assumes the shape of a violin; the Grand Canal at sunset becomes a glowing ribbon. This book is aimed at anyone who loves Versailles, but that’s not all. It is also for anyone who would love to take a trip through the four seasons, a journey that a bird’s-eye view of Versailles encapsulates beautifully.